About

Throughout nearly two decades at the helm of all legal services, Gökhan Saraç has led the award-winning legal function of Unilever NametRub (North Africa, Middle East, Turkey, Iran, Israel, Caucasia, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus). Heading a large, cross-functional team, Saraç is deeply involved in strategic decision-making and prides himself on changing the company mindset over the legal function, which is now seen as an integral part of the business. Always looking to innovate, Saraç created and implemented the Golden Triangle model, which ensures the most efficient ways of cooperation between the legal, regulatory and external functions. ‘This model was recognised and awarded by Unilever Global as the best practice and global model’ he comments proudly. He led the transformation of the Turkish legal function to better reflect the company’s FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) nature, which was awarded with the “Best Business Partnering Legal Team” prize from Unilever in 2014. Throughout his in-house career, Saraç has had many successful moments, but the highlight of his career was in 2012, when ‘for the first time in its history, the Turkish Competition Authority cited an in-house internal competition compliance program as the best practice in its 2012 decision on Unilever Turkey’s ice-cream business’.